STC

Love him or hate him, I still think this line from his column today is one of the quotes of the year: 'Yes, it would probably be better if NFL officials weren’t seen celebrating for any reason. It’s not the smartest move. But I defy you to point out one call by the officials this season that was dumber than trading away next year’s No. 1 draft pick for Sammy Watkins.'

That signing was handled so well.

Jim McMahon?

Don't get me wrong. I have no faith in their selection ability. Zero. I'm hoping for an accident. Ralph accidentally found Polian. The USFL folded and we got Kelly back. It has been a while. We're due for another accident.

If they bring in a guy, I'd want a guy who can start and win. I don't see the point if it's another back-up. They'd have to make a pretty bold move. I like the Bradford idea as well. I don't think he's done.

Yikes.

So Orton is not the answer. If you want a playoff team any time soon, I don't think Manuel is either. And of course, no 1st round pick in 2015. So what should happen? This defense - although not perfect - is a pretty special one. I don't see how the guys on this roster (especially on D) would buy into developing Manuel for another year. And I know most fans won't (if that matters). Maybe he can be the guy, but let him be a backup for now. Or at the very least, bring in someone other than Orton and let Manuel compete for the job. So if we want to take advantage of this defense and this receiver talent, who do we go for? There may be a lot of guys available come March 2015, including: Newton RG III Cutler Bradford Hoyer Sanchez Mallett McCoy These aren't necessarily great names, and some of them might even seem downright ugly. My two cents - if there's a shot at getting Cam Newton, I'd go after it hard. Fire away.

If that's the schedule, I don't mind it at all. The only games that really bother me are at Denver and at Detroit. If we get Green Bay at The Ralph, that would be great. But we all know the schedules are so hard to evaluate. There are always some teams who are expected to be great and suck, and vice versa. Every year.

I prefer to call them Mass-holes.

I'd feel a lot more secure about EJ if he was picked by a group with a track record. The pick was a reach in the first round and everyone knew it. The Bills' brain trust thought they were smarter than everyone else and valued him way more than the rest of the league did. If we were the Pats, Steelers, Ravens, Packers, etc., I'd be willing to give them the benefit of the doubt in that situation. Those teams have earned the trust of the their fans and have developed a reputation for finding players who can win. But this franchise is completely inept and this new era isn't all that new. Brandon has been around since the 90's and Whaley has already been here under a failed GM (I don't care what anyone says - Nix is a failed GM based on his record). Add in a rookie HC and a rookie OC. All that said, why should I have any faith in anything these guys do? What business do they have reaching on anyone right now?

I really like this move and I was hoping for it. I also think this increases the likelihood of taking a corner in rounds 1-3. Pettine's defense relies on really strong corners. Unless they plan on a substantial free agent move, a corner in the high rounds wouldn't surprise me one bit.

As I see it, here are what you would hope are some of their free agency plans, not necessarily in order of importance: 1 - Sign a former Jet or 2 to help Pettine with the new D. 2 - Sign Levitre 3 - Sign a free agent QB 4 - Sign a free agent WR Now of course, it's unlikely that they'll be able to do all of these things this year. But in order to tackle at least some of that list, I'd say you definitely have to day goodbye to Kelsey, McGee and Brad Smith if not some others. As for Fitz, he has to take a pay cut. I don't see any other team bringing him in to be anything more than a backup, and at a much lower rate of pay than what he's getting now. If he stays, he'll most likely compete with the rookie for the starting spot. Fitz is smart enough and grounded enough to know that.

I think this article offers a great take on this sad series we've had to endure: http://www.torontosun.com/2012/12/16/whats-the-point-for-the-bills It really points out what sucks about it both for us and our Canadian friends.

I love the 'Fred's turn' thing. That's the 2nd time I've heard him say that. I didn't realize this was Pop Warner and Chan wants to make sure all of the kids get a chance to play. I'm guessing Fred's parents called Chan to yell at him since they bought his shoulder pads and drive him to practice every day after school.

You totally set it up for me to make a joke about a 94-year-old man who can't read an eye chart. But I won't make that joke. Oh wait...

If this silly football team of ours goes into next season with Gailey and Fitz both still at the helm, it's going to look like 1985 in that stadium. But that might actually be what happens. It wouldn't surprise me one bit if Nix keeps Gailey in the interest of "continuity". 50/50 that Fitz will be around. It all depends on who they get at qb in the draft/free agency. I could totally see them drafting a guy in the 2nd, 3rd or 4th round, starting Fitz and telling everyone that "the kid isn't ready yet". The guys running the show are about 15 years behind, so it wouldn't be a shock. In the modern NFL, we see brand new regimes and/or brand new qbs in the playoffs. It does happen. But this is a franchise that employs a head coach who thinks any kick over 50 is low percentage, so they clearly don't live in the modern NFL. 6 letters: P-O-L-I-A-N It's the right move, which is why it won't happen.

Even more interesting. So you deduced that I'm desperate, boring and longwinded but didn't actually read everything I had to say? I'm over myself, pal. And I mentioned that I appreciated the fact that he took the time to respond. My point was that I found it fascinating that a host would criticize a caller for being patient. Most shows at least give the appearance that they appreciate their audience. I was annoyed about being on hold so long, but that wasn't the reason I posted about it. And I don't listen anymore, so I'd say I've moved on. Thanks for the sage advice. Thanks, TKIG. I haven't posted anything on message boards for quite a while. And I'm starting to remember why. Great site, though. I've been a regular reader for a long time.

Interesting. Then why did you read the whole thing?

I wondered that myself. I came to my senses.

Nice. I knew this discussion had a bit too much class for a message board. Thanks for setting me straight. Thanks, Dwight! I'm going to take you up on your recommendation.

Thanks, bbb. I appreciate it. Totally valid. But I didn't appreciate the assumption about being desperate or boring. And you're right - they're not required to take calls. And I'm not required to listen, and I don't anymore. Listeners are technically customers in an indirect way.

Good point about being psychic. How do they know?

So I’m not normally someone who prefers to spew negativity online or anywhere else, but this one is tough for me to ignore. Along with WGR’s other local shows, I’ve been a regular listener of Schopp and The Bulldog for many years, and I’ve even made the occasional call when I felt the need to make a point. They were discussing the lockout the other day and I decided to call in with a take. I was put on hold for an hour and then gave up. I’m a decent multi-tasker so I was still able to do some work while holding. But it was still frustrating, especially given the fact they stayed on the topic I had called about for almost the entire time I was on hold. Had they completely switched gears, I would’ve given up much sooner. I couldn’t help myself so I sent an email to Schopp to vent a little. Here was my initial email: Sitting on hold for over an hour (and being completed ignored) while trying to make a point on your show just reminded me of how stupid I feel that I was one of the fools who bothers to call in at all. I've called in many times in the past but today was definitely the last time. I'd be surprised if you care, but I had to vent my frustration about that. What a waste of time. It's too bad that you guys are the only sports radio option in town. I'm less of a fan now. Here was his response: Once a caller is on hold for more than 20 minutes I tend to think the person wants to be on the radio a little too desperately, is less likely to make an interesting point, is not anymore reacting to something we've said. Regulars hold on forever and are often boring, while the guy who just called in to react to something just said is usually more interesting to listen to. I don't know you so I'm not calling you anything. This kind of caller can backtrack us, or send us in another direction which can be bad. This is what tends to happen. We don't disconnect the caller because we want him there just in case. I don't blame you for being upset, and I don't know if this will even make sense to you, I'm just explaining the thought process. Here was my last response: I stayed on hold to make a point about the prospect of replacement players. You guys stayed on the lockout topic for a while so I foolishly figured I'd get a chance. It's nice to know that a listener who exhibits patience is considered desperate and boring. So there you go. Now I must point out that I totally understand that these guys have a show to do and they need to keep it as interesting as possible so they don’t lose listeners. I get that. And I also appreciate that he took the time to respond to one listener. However, I was just fascinated to find out - from the co-host himself - that he finds patient callers to be desperate and/or boring. How many shows (local and national) have you heard where the host says something like ‘I know you guys have been holding a while, we’ll get to you’? Given the competition for audiences, shouldn’t there be at least SOME appreciation for someone who has enough interest to call in? Don’t get me wrong – I understand the need to keep things lively and I do appreciate the honesty, but that response was enough for me to say I’m done with these guys. I’ve always liked Bulldog’s role as the ‘Buffalo Everyman’, but I usually just tolerated Schopp. He makes some good points from time to time, but his arrogance, his contempt for the audience and his snobby attitude about sports in general (football in particular) are at best annoying and at worst infuriating. He often comes off as a guy who feels he is above the whole sports fan landscape and seems to have a habit of belittling callers who aren’t the best at expressing themselves. I’ve heard him do it enough that I wonder if he enjoys it. The truth is that the topics are what drive that show, not the hosts. Whenever they get on a meaningless topic just to have a few laughs, I always change the channel. If those guys were re-assigned to WBEN to do a local non-sports show, I have no doubt that their listenership would plummet. I much prefer guys like Sal Capaccio and John Murphy, who at least give the impression that they appreciate their audience. I don’t find Sal any less compelling than those guys. Murph definitely tows the party line for The Bills (which is understandable given his Sunday job), but I still think he puts on a good show. I’m even a little embarrassed that I took the time to write this. Why do I care? I don’t know. Like many of you, I’m pretty passionate about The Bills and The Sabres. I just wish I had more than one local sports radio option.

I only pointed out my theory of a succession plan being in place because of my sincere belief that this team cannot be a contender while Ralph is still the owner. Nothing we haven't heard before, I know. But the bottom line is that the man has made one good decision in over 50 years of ownership - Bill Polian. And that decision had nothing to do with any foresight. He completely backed into it. Anything positive that happens while Ralph is still at the helm will be accidental. I say all of this hoping I'm wrong, but there's too much evidence to ignore.

That would be vintage Bills. Granted, we have no idea of his potential one way or the other. But your fear playing out would be vintage Bills. That would be amazing if true. None from my end. I was only presenting my theory of a succession plan being in place based on the fact that he came here at all. As for how he would perform, we can only hope that all of those reasonable, sane and intelligent decisions The Steelers make rubbed off on him.